PSU's seniors prep for last trip

Stephon Morris was on the practice field Monday talking to classmate Mike Farrell when he suddenly came to a realization about his Penn State career.

"I got a little emotional," Morris said Tuesday. "It's not sad. It's great, but this is my last away game in the blue and white. It's breathtaking.

"I was just thinking to myself, 'I really can't believe this is my last away game. I can't believe I have three weeks left as a Nittany Lion.' "

Morris and 19 other seniors are expected to make the final road trip of their college careers when Penn State (4-1 Big Ten, 6-3) faces No. 18 Nebraska (4-1, 7-2) Saturday at Memorial Stadium (3:30 p.m.; TV-ABC).

Fullback Michael Zordich, one of the seniors, said he understands Morris' sentimentality this week.

"You think about it," Zordich said. "You try to stay focused, but you put so much time and effort into this. To realize there are only three weeks left, yeah, you're going to get emotional, especially about a place you really care about like we do.

"It's not surprising at all. I understand where Steph's coming from. He really cares about this team and playing the game."

Morris, a cornerback, played exceptionally well last week at Purdue, where he made six tackles, including many in the open field and one for a 5-yard loss, in a 34-9 victory.

That lopsided win continued a trend. Penn State has won its first three Big Ten road games, against Illinois, Iowa and Purdue, by a combined 107-30 score. The Lions' only road loss came at Virginia, where Sam Ficken missed four field goals and had a PAT blocked.

Since the start of the 2009 season, Penn State is 12-5 in true road games and 2-2 at neutral sites. The Lions enjoy going on the road.

"Everything is narrowed down to its simplest form," linebacker Michael Mauti said. "All you have are the trainers, the coaches and the players. That's it. There are no auxiliary distractions. There's really just nothing else.

"I think that really plays to our advantage because there's always so much going on. We can just forget about it. We bring our own energy. Everything we need is within our locker room."

The Lions will need their best performance of the season to beat Nebraska in Lincoln, where the Cornhuskers are 19-2 since the middle of 2009 and where they'll have their 324th consecutive sellout Saturday.

Penn State made its last trip there in 2003 and lost 18-10. That came during a 3-9 season, when it endured the most losses in school history.

"None of our guys has been to Nebraska, so we're all looking forward to a great atmosphere," Mauti said. "We heard nothing but great things about their program and their stadium.

"It's going to be a big challenge this week. We're going to have to be on our game. Nebraska has a really good team. It should be a good one."

The Lions last defeated a ranked opponent on the road in 2008 when they beat No. 9 Ohio State 13-6 at Ohio Stadium. Since then, though, they've mostly enjoyed success away from Beaver Stadium.

For the seniors, this is their last road trip at Penn State.

"I know it's there, but I just haven't paid much attention to it," Mauti said. "I've been staying focused on the daily task. I've been taking it one day at a time. I'm not trying to let that stuff get to me just yet."